The recent chapter, along with the current arc as a whole, has caused a multitude of divisions within its community, and understandably so. I personally was not a fan of the amnesia arc at first and, depending on the endgame, may continue to feel that way. This would entirely depend l on the purpose behind giving Momo amnesia and what Tatsu plans to do with the overall plot. There are two end states that are likely to occur by the end of this arc, the end being (we assume) Momo getting her memories back: Momo regains them before Okarun has a chance to move on, or Okarun and Aira become a couple before the fact.
I won’t hide the fact that I wouldn’t be opposed to latter, but I can also acknowledge that the arc will conclude in the former. If this were to be the case, however, then the audience would be justified into behaving how they are towards the stalling and the needless drama. If the endgame remains the same, all the amnesia arc did for the series was put a good portion of its fanbase to sleep until it was finished. This is where I, from a writer’s perspective, believe the arc would only be worth having if there was a specific purpose to having it and certain consequences resulting from it. If the purpose of the amnesia arc was not to stall/create drama or tension with the intent to improve the storyline, but instead to shift the overall plot towards a “first love doesn’t always work out” kind of story, then the arc serves a necessary purpose.
This, of course, would turn much of the fandom towards the writer for the story not concluding how they think it should conclude. Concluding a manga through subversions of expectations has been present in several recent instances, such as CSM, Black Clover (in regard to the shipping), AoT, etc. These few mentioned, as well as many others, were either able to create an amazing conclusion through their subversion or turn half, if not all, of their fandom towards the story’s writer. This currently, although the series has not concluded, has become the case for DanDaDan.
Most of us can agree that if the endgame were Airakun, a good portion of the fandom would lose it one way or another, having felt their expectations were betrayed. That the series had broken a promise it gave. This is not about what should be the endgame as I, even on team Aurakun, can accept the mostly likely outcome. But if the amnesia arc were given a purpose, if it became a point in which the story developed a radical twist, then the bigger issue would be the people’s reaction to their ship sinking. The purpose of the story is not up to the reader, but the writer. This doesn’t mean the writer’s works shouldn’t be judged for its overall storytelling, writing style, or use of characters, but a writer who is passionate about his story will write for the sake of what he thinks is a good story instead of pandering to the audience’s expectations which, in itself, can destroy a story (see SvtFoE)
TL;DR — A story’s quality isn’t based on whether the audience’s initial expectations are met, but journey and conclusion of the story itself. The current arc is useless with a Momokarun endgame, creating good reason for division. An alternate route, however, gives it purpose